Personal Injury Law

Missouri motorcyclist rear-ended and injured

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Shaun McClure, 28, was seriously injured Monday when the motorcycle he was riding was rear-ended on Missouri 52 in Miller County.

This Missouri motorcycle accident occurred just after 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Missouri 52 and Pace Road. McClure was riding a 2003 Yamaha Star Motorcycle westbound at the time of the crash. Behind McClure was a 2000 Dodge Ram, driven by Steven Shelton, 54. McClure slowed to make a right turn at the intersection, but Shelton was unable to stop his pickup in time and slammed into the back of the motorcyclist.

McClure was rushed to University Hospital in Columbia for emergency treatment. Shelton did not sustain any serious injury.

It is unclear what exactly caused this accident. Shelton could have taken his focus off the road ahead of him or McClure may have made a sudden stop before his turn. Usually, rear-end collision cases find that the rear most vehicle was at fault and, due to the rear impact collision doctrine, that at-fault driver is usually found to be negligent. This is because all drivers should be in control of where their vehicle is heading and allow plenty of space in between them and the vehicle in front of them.

Shelton might also have had trouble judging the speed of the smaller motorcycle ahead of him. Many times, drivers or large cars misjudge the speed and distance of a motorcycles because of their small size. This further underscores why drivers have to be so vigilant on the roads and learn to share them with motorcyclists.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on April 19, 2010 (boomark / email).